Two years later

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When I was pregnant for Bitty I had decided I wanted to try things like extended breast feeding, extended rear facing, baby wearing, and cloth diapers. I did all of my homework on each topic and was prepared even when she came early. As with everything that is important to me, my Hubster supported me whole heartedly. Especially after reading all of the benefits it all reaped for our lil doll face.

The plan was to do extended breastfeeding until she was at least two or until she started weaning on her own. Which she did at eighteen months old. It was a very special eighteen months of bonding that only she and I shared. A time I will forever cherish.

The baby wearing has been something both daddy and I could do to bond with her. There have been countless times that it was the only way to console her. We still baby wear her and even sometimes wear her big sister that still loves it at nearly five years old. Especially if I am tandem wearing them both at the same time.

She is now two plus years old and still rocking the rear facing. It is the safest position for her and she is clueless as to what she may be missing out on, so it doesn’t phase her. Besides she’s gotten pretty good at watching Frozen through her mirror.

The cloth diapers. Oh my! I couldn’t walk in my fave local cloth diaper store without buying a new one. This lil lady has a huge stash of fluff! I absolutely love her lil bum in them. It took a little effort to get in a routine with adding the extra work to my already full load of being a stay at home mama to four. As well as adding the extra laundry cycles to my already always full washer. But was quickly figured out and a piece of cake. I mean come on let’s be real, there hasn’t always been a huge isle of disposables available in every store. My dad has often joked about me being stuck in the fifties when he has visited and stepped in our backyard to see my clothesline full of cloth diapers. A joke that I clearly could only take as a compliment because that was a fabulous era! Any who, as the last two years have quickly flown by, so have the many obstacles come our way. I’ve had to have four surgeries since I gave birth to our sweet one. While I haven’t minded taking on the brunt of the special care required for the cloth diapers, I hated to add the extra work load to my husband or Bitty’s maw-maw as I healed from each surgery. Yet was faced with the dilemma. The whole reason for me putting her in the cloth was because of my research about disposables. There is some rather icky stuff in those things. Suddenly nothing was too good for my baby’s lil bum, and I only wish I had known then what I know now for my three other bambinos. So when choosing a disposable, I went with the safest chlorine free, dye free, and bio degradable diapers I could find. Sure they cost a tad more, but not much, and was well worth it to her daddy and I.

So while we are nearing the potty training phase and I am finally feeling more complete since my surgery. I slapped her bum back in her cloth yesterday. I rather missed seeing that lil fluffy bum running around. That is until today. Holy cow! This lil gal had her share of those lil cutie oranges over the last few days. Of course diapers change over time when they switch from only breast to solids and so on and so forth. But this one particular diaper I was faced with today made me realize just how much I love those convenient expensive packs of special disposable diapers! Today is the day I said heck no I don’t want to do that again! Wowza how someone so cute can make that kind of mess I’ll never know. But I do know should that happen again I’ll be simply tossing a forty cent diaper instead of trying to save a twenty dollar cloth diaper.

Do I feel like a failure? Not in the slightest. I am still choosing to go with the best and safest (in my opinion) disposable. Yeah, someone may want to take my “crunchy card” away, and I’m good with that too, ha ha. I don’t do what I do with our lil monsters to fit in a category. I do it, because it’s what I see best for MY children. I don’t want to be compared to another mom no more than I want another mom to be compared to me. That’s just strange. Obviously we all have the same common goal, right? Honestly, I will shred my own “crunchy card” just to never be faced with a scary two year old cloth diaper like that again as my four year old hovers over my shoulder with a look of horror asking what in the world we are going to do about it.

So now my precious Bitty is tucked into bed dreaming sweet baby dreams. Not an ounce of doubt in my mind she could care less what kind of diaper is on that lil bum of hers! But oh my gosh I am so happy it’s a disposable, however I must admit, I’ll miss that little fluffy bum of hers in a few days…after the trauma of today wears off. So for all of the folks that think I do “strange hippie things” there is one thing you can scratch off of your list.20140409-162744.jpg

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“Crunchy mom”

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The definition of “a crunchy mom”

How “crunchy” are you? I am “guilty” of 23 out of the 38, according to this blog. And there are many things that aren’t on this list that I do that I am frequently called a hippie or crunchy for (especially by my teenage son, who seems quite amused by some of my ways). Does this make me a better mom than another? I don’t think so. Am I trying to be better than anyone else? Not in the least! These are things I have started doing over the years that just “works” for our family. Does this make me “crunchy” I guess so, and I’m not phased or offended by the title really. I guess I sort of think the phrase is likely just a trend. However, when this trend fades away, I have no intentions of throwing out my homemade supplies that I have loved since day one. Maybe my ways cause a few to think I am quirky or different, so to speak. But at the end of the day it doesn’t change how I feel about myself, nor does how someone else views me. My husband embraces the things I do for our family that may seem odd to others. In fact he encourages it. I can’t tell you how many articles he has forwarded to me or asked me if I have heard of a certain terminology to see if I’d like to add it to our routines. How crunchy I am, if I am crunchier than another mama, or being compared to another doesn’t concern me. I am the best mama I can be to these crazy four little monsters and that’s all that matters to me. If a friend or family member reaches out to me or ask me for advice I am thrilled to help them or offer my views on a topic. But I never want someone I care about (or anyone for that matter) to think I expect them to follow suit. So I’m a crunchy mama right now, and I am good with the so called title. I don’t even mind calling myself crunchy. More importantly I am the crunchy mama to the four most beautiful people I know. Really when it comes down to it I wish moms didn’t feel the need for competing and trying to out do each other or to require a title to do what we feel is right for our family. Really, what are we teaching our children in doing so? Not the lessons in life I strive to teach mine, that’s for sure. I’ve had others do it to me. Of course the source of comparison isn’t worth my time or effort. I don’t care if another is a better mom than me, especially if it is the view of another person that I don’t value the opinion of. In my opinion we are all different people, different families, live in different circumstances , have different incomes, different religions, have different life styles, and so on and so forth. How or why would we possibly want to be compared to another or even stoop to a level of doing so? Not this lady!20140128-122257.jpg

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2013 summed up, Happy New Years!

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I’ve been reading everyone’s New Years resolutions and reflections of the last year on different social medias and blogs. I can’t say I have ever really made resolutions. I’ve honestly never really been one to follow through with them. But I did enjoy going through one of my apps and looking at pictures of our last year and I can’t believe all that we squeezed in to it! It’s been a year full of blessings, family visitors, traveling, bonding, gatherings, parties, ending of toxic relationships, gaining of new friends, and so much more. I have to say it’s been one of our better years and I look forward to what the future holds for our family. Here are just some of our moments in 2013…
20140101-021353.jpg1. Bitty’s first trip on a plane. Thankfully nursing kept her content nearly the entire time.
2. Bitty’s first time in snow. A massive amount of snow at that. I’ve never really seen a tremendous amount of snow until Ohio myself and I’m sure this southern gal stuck out like a sore thumb!
3. I spent my birthday traveling all day with Bitty and couldn’t wait to get home to my little family.
20140101-021811.jpg4. Much to my surprise, my dad was waiting for me at the airport! He had flown out to be here for my birthday & Bitty’s.
5. After a very long day of traveling I came home to a little birthday celebration with my family. It couldn’t have turned out to be a more perfect day.
6.Bitty’s 1st birthday! She had an owl themed party. And loved her smash cake!
7. Naps, a rare thing for this daddy & mama, but certainly a welcomed treat especially if it’s with one of our monsters.
20140101-022324.jpg8. There are so many things for our family to give thank for. No matter how busy life gets, I adore the fact that our monsters know to stop and pray daily.
9. Buggie decided she was a boy and wanted to chop off her long beautiful curls, and so it is.
10. Bitty may have far too many toys, yet nothing is more entertaining than our kitchen cabinets.
20140101-022621.jpg11. Mardi Gras Day is just another day in Texas. But I got my monsters a king cake and made them a traditional Cajun meal too.
12. My sweet sweet Valentine.
13. Our first annual Valentine’s for maw-maw’s and paw-paw’s. With the help of family and friends our monsters delivered 209 handmade Valentine’s to a local nursing home. I’m not sure who enjoyed the visit more.
20140101-023306.jpg14. Matt’s cousin Rachel came to town and spent the night with us. We won’t talk about how she threw out her back that night:/ But I will mention how much I adore this kind hearted fun lady!
15. Lots of music is played in this home.
16. Oh the confusion of teaching Buggie this is NOT the finger to point with. Nothing sweeter than the innocence of a child.
17. We avidly support EBF (extended breast feeding).
20140101-100027.jpg18. We did our first annual 4 lil monsters Easter for Children’s Hospital. Along with the help of my monsters, some of my friends & family, Bunny’s class, & half price books we were able to make and donate over 100 pillows, hats, blankets, handmade cards, and three large boxes of books to every single child at our local Methodist hospital. Even more rewarding was being able to deliver said gifts to those precious children with my son and my husband. I will never forget some of those sweet faces and the happiness something so little brought them during such a scary time in their lives.
19. Buggie decided to pretend to take a nap, while she was really trying to give their barbies a bath in their garbage can. Sometimes it’s not easy to keep a straight face while correcting our monsters.
20. We got rid of all the toxic chemicals and cleaning supplies in our home and went all natural and started making our own.
21. My B-Boo and Nannie Boo to some of our monsters came out for a surprise visit. I simply adore my time with her.
20140101-101414.jpg22. We enjoyed a year of baby wearing our little bambino.
23. And our toddler too.
24. I discovered I needed glasses. The very next day Budah was prescribed some too. He wears his every day. I haven’t exactly been a good example in that department.
25. Lots of selfies happened.
20140101-101828.jpg26. We took our lil ladies to see Yo Gabba Gabba and Daddy & I may have been just as stoked about “Biz’s beat of the day”.
27. We spent spring break on the coast . This was also Bitty’s first time in the sand. She wasn’t sure about it.
28. Bitty & I neared a end as she started weening herself after 18 months of EBF (extended breast feeding). I will forever cherish those special moments.
29. Not all were a fan of the Easter Bunny.
20140101-102330.jpg30. A whole lot of skateboarding took place and then some.
31. We spent Easter morning in a hotel in New Orleans.
32. We made some memories in our fave city. You can take the gal outta NOLA, but you can take NOLA outta the gal.
33. We went to the annual Easter Freeman family reunion.
20140101-102719.jpg34. Najah had many baths.
35. Disney on Ice with our three lil ladies.
36. I spent lots of one on one time with my little Bitty while her siblings were at school or work.
37. My hard working son bought amazing tickets for us and after dinner in ATX he took Bitty and I to see The Lumineers and The Tumbleweeds (who happen to be from NOLA and quickly became another fave folky band of ours).
20140101-103220.jpg38. Our monsters became a huge help in the kitchen.
39. Lots of silly moments were had between our monsters.
40. I enjoyed Mother’s Day with these four little monsters I made.
41. There was a very special guest at Buggie’s 4th (pirate themed) birthday party.
20140101-103618.jpg42. First steps were taken.
43. Bunny celebrated her 8th birthday with a fun luau themed party surrounded by a bunch of her little friends.
44. A whole slew of sleep overs were had with either squealing little girls or a group of teenage fellas.
45. Many toxic folks were removed from our monster’s lives. Best decision we could have possibly made. Life is suddenly peaceful and only spent with folks that genuinely care about us.
20140101-104114.jpg46. Many weekends were spent with my Godchildren. Such sweet blessings.
47. My Aunt Glo spent a few weeks with us!
48. These two precious little cousins enjoyed a full spa day on Bunny’s birthday. Hair, make up, manis, pedis, & princess dresses!
49. Budah celebrated his 17th birthday Fiesta style surrounded by a ton of friends & fam before a day of skate parks with this huge group of fellas.
20140101-104551.jpg50. After much thought and prayer I have finally discovered forgiveness. And gained the knowledge from a very dear friend that forgiveness was necessary for my faith and self healing and didn’t mean I needed to be around said people that I forgave. Such an amazing feeling to be able to let go of years worth of hurt as well as the people that caused unnecessary pain.
20140101-104931.jpg51. The Guncles never let us down…literally. Our monsters are so lucky to have these four amazing fellas in their lives. Both as family and a good example that love has no boundaries. Teaching our monsters that no one has to be the same to be accepted is one of the greatest lessons we could possibly teach them.
52. These four little beauties had a blast at their week long VBS (vacation Bible school).
53. My mom & her sister celebrated their 55th & 60th birthdays together with lots of red & purple deco and were surprised by the flock of huge flamingos in the front yard.
54. We celebrated my dad’s 60th birthday early with a full nautical themed party before a trip to Big Lou’s.
20140101-105504.jpg55. 4th of July with these cuties!
56. Lots of swimming & fun took place.
57. We love our weekends with Aryie.
58. Knot-Geek flourished!
20140101-105833.jpg59. We celebrated Matt’s God daughter’s birthday too!
60. Enjoyed many visits with rad friends.
61. We spent a week in a condo on Mustang Island on the beach and exploring near by places.
62. Braces were removed!
20140101-110237.jpg63. Have I mentioned how much these monsters love their Guncles?
64. JuJuBee with Matt & Alex!
65. Much to my surprise I happily joined the mini van club.
20140101-110626.jpg66. Bunny donated ten inches of her hair to locks of love.
67. Just when I think it’s not possible I love these lil monsters a little bit more.
68. First day of school! Pre-K, 3rd, & our home schooled 11th grader.
69. Labor Day! Maw-Maw, Jamie, Dustin, Brylee, Britton, Phil, Angie, Billy, Syd, & Tanner. Painting, a little covered up Slayer,BBQ, & swimming fun.
20140101-111254.jpg70. Budah discovered he could cross his eyes…all the time.
71. Buggie decided she could shave like her brother and in the process shaved off her eyebrows & scraped her chin and lip. Budah also decided to face plant the very same night skateboarding and broke his glasses. Thanks for those near heart attacks monsters. Please no injuries in 2014.
72. We celebrated my MIL’s 60th birthday with her at her new beautiful ranch house.
73. I got my Van Gogh on with Em.
20140101-111915.jpg74. These lil doll faces started ballet & tap dance classes.
75. Pumpkin patch fun!
76. Duckies were fed for the first time by this little gal, and she easily ate as much bread as she shared.
77. I had two very unexpected surgeries in a matter of three weeks time. Thankfully I have amazing family that nursed me back to health.
20140101-112248.jpg78. We spent our first year in our new home. Still can’t believe it’s ours.
79. We did our first annual Halloween book drive for the local Methodist Children’s Hospital and collected 350 books!
80. Odessa! We loaded these 6 monsters in the car and drove to west Texas to spend the weekend with my love’s old Army friends.
81. Bunny’s school book parade.
20140101-112758.jpg82. Bunny was a homecoming princess.
83. Many days were spent at cheerleading practice & football games.
84. Superhero’s for Halloween! Budah- The Hulk, Bunny- Cat Woman, Buggie- Spider-Man, & Bitty- Wonder Woman.
85. Bunny did fantastic at her first cheer competition.
20140101-113136.jpg86. Many mornings waiting for the bus!
87. We didn’t let nosey folks change our routines.
88. We have constantly been surrounded by rad folks, that while they may not share the same bloodline, have been the most amazing family we could ask for.
89. Turns out Buggie likes to write on our house just like Budah did when he was little.
20140101-113623.jpg90. We didn’t have to leave our neighborhood to take this year’s Christmas pictures of our monsters.
91. Daddy, Budah, & I nearly froze waiting to watch Bunny & Buggie’s dance class in our local Christmas parade.
92. Our monsters have loved having Maw-Maw live with us.
93. I loved experiencing Buggie’s first class Christmas party with her!
20140101-113937.jpg94. Bunny was very proud to have Bitty join her for her 3rd grade Christmas party.
95. Bunny & Diamond danced beautifully at their first Christmas Dance Recital.
96. Bunny finally welcomed her first American Girl Doll, Audrey, into her little world!
97. While Buggie loves her dance classes, she wasn’t feeling her first dance recital.
20140101-114347.jpg98. Our little ladies sang away at their school Christmas programs.
99. Santa visited our little ladies at our house!
100. We celebrated our 2nd Christmas in our home with our four lil monsters, maw-maw, paw-paw, & maw-maw Susie.
101. Budah shot his first doe on a hunting trip with his dad.
20140101-115400.jpgWhat an amazing year we’ve shared together. While yes there were some disappointing moments this year, clearly there was far more happy moments to out weigh the bumps in the road. We truly are blessed beyond measure. I celebrated my 6th wedding anniversary with my husband this year. What a pillar of strength he is. He never ceases to amaze me. I know with him by my side we can take on anything that comes our way.

While we had such a fantastic year I watched many of my favorite people experience their worst year ever. I only pray that we have been some form of a comfort to them during their heartache.

So while I won’t be making “New Years resolutions” per say. I will continue to set goals for myself and our little family. I will continue to strive to be the best person I can be regardless of what some may think of me. I will hold on to my faith. I will be the faithful & supportive wife this loving man I married deserves. I will forever strive to be the best mama, daughter, DIL, sister, SIL, niece, cousin, aunt, Godmother, & friend I can possibly be. I will continue to work on forgiveness. I will continue to protect our monsters from hateful people. I will continue to be the best role model I can be to my monsters. After all they do learn by example.

Now off to cook our traditional New Years Day meal: pork (for health), cabbage (for wealth), & black eyed peas (for good luck). And spend this day surrounded by loved ones. Can’t wait until our Budah Booskie is home!
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Homemade pumpkin spice play dough

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My three little ladies along with their friend and I made some homemade play dough yesterday. All four of them ranging in age from 21 months old up to 10 years old enjoyed helping too. It was so easy and within 15 minutes they were happily playing with it and very proud of themselves! And it smells just like pumpkin pie!

ingredients:
1 1/2 to 2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup salt
1 tbsp cream of tarter
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup boiling water
1 tbsp olive oil
Food coloring (or kool-aid packet)
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Add dry ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl, start with 1 1/2 cups flour20131030-162137.jpg
The girls enjoyed taking turns adding the ingredients in the bowl20131030-162306.jpgit’s also helpful to put the pumpkin spice in the bowl, ha ha20131030-162531.jpg
Add boiling water, olive oil, and food color, we used about 15 drops of gel food color this time. Then start mixing. 20131030-162937.jpg And when you think you are done, mix some more. Until it becomes dough like. 20131030-163133.jpgIf it’s too gooey you can add small amounts of flour at a time. Then kneed it a bit and viola! Homemade play dough! We’ll be playing with the recipe to change it up a bit after the fall. It will last a few weeks in a sealed container or ziplock bag. If it starts to dry out just add 1 tbsp of olive oil and kneed it some more. It makes about the amount of 4 traditional size containers of play dough. 20131030-164155.jpg

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Chia seeds

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Let’s talk chia seeds! I’m sure I am not the only one that instantly flashes back to my childhood when I hear the word “chia”.20131016-104738.jpgDon’t worry, I promise you won’t grow a tree out of your head if you use them! Though I guess it would be nice if it made our hair grow that fast. Chia seed is a fave of our’s around this house. Do you know the benefits they hold?

10 healthy benefits of this SUPERFOOD:
1. Support heart health
2. Stabilizes blood sugar
3. Energizing
4. Anti inflammatory properties
5. Weight loss
6. Detoxification and elimination
7. High quality protein
8. Antioxidants
9. Provides fiber & other nutrients
10. Brain power

All of that packed into these itty bitty seeds that you can use on nearly anything? Check out whatscookingamerica.net for a further look into the details of the benefits listed above.

We’ve been using these magical little seeds in our home for over two years now and love them. Here recently we have experimented a little more with them as to all the different ways they can be used. A few examples:

1. Sprinkled over our breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You don’t even notice a distinct flavor really.

2. Blend them into your smoothies, oatmeal, or whatever you are having for breakfast.

3. Add some to your already beneficial water and watch these little babies expand! It’s also tasty if you add some crystal light. It has an interesting texture. Think bubble tea…only very healthy!

4. Chia pudding! A healthy dessert? There are so many recipes on Pinterest.

The ideas and ways to use chia seed seems almost endless. It is recommended that you try to work about 4 tbsp in your daily diet. But word to the wise start gradually. Maybe 1 tsp at a time. They will make you so thirsty if you jump in too fast. Drink a glass of chia water before you eat a meal. It will help you eat a little less. Have any good ideas or recipes you use? Please feel free to share!20131016-112215.jpg

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Parenting

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I had to share this daddy blog that a friend of mine shared on facebook today and it down right cracked me up!

http://www.stevewiens.com/2013/03/12/to-parents-of-small-children-let-me-be-the-one-who-says-it-out-loud/

There is so much truth in this. So frequently do I read a Facebook or blog post about just how perfect some parents are and how together they have it, no one could possibly be a better parent than said person.

Well guess what, I am a mom. I adore this title and don’t for one minute take it lightly. I am my worst critic when it comes to my parenting. And while that may seem impossible if you know the few folks that don’t care for me, trust me it’s true. I strive to be a better mom, wife, daughter, DIL, sister, SIL, Godmother, aunt, niece, cousin, and friend daily. Yet I am the first to admit I am far from perfect. Honestly, I am thankful I don’t think I am perfect. I don’t feel the need to put myself or another up on a pedestal. It allows me to feel human and never ever in competition with another parent. After all, every single family is different. Every child is and every parent is. How can we possibly feel the need to put those kind of pressures on another? Of course it happens daily. Do you breast or bottle feed? Do you use cloth or disposable diapers? Do you read to your children enough? Give them enough veggies? What type of car seat do you use? Is it still rear facing? Did your child know their abc’s and 123’s before another? Can your child read? What kind of parenting do you do? Your child isn’t potty trained yet? Gasp! I mean for God sakes it can make a person go mad with all of these expectations.

My monsters are as perfect as they can be in my eyes. I don’t care if someone else’s child does it better or did it sooner. I don’t care of you feel someone else is a better parent than I am. I strive to be the best I can be and will always encourage my monsters to do the same. And I dare you to tell them otherwise.

We are a house full of chaos. Yes, I use cloth diapers. But you know what? I also don’t hesitate to run out and buy a pack of organic dye free diapers if things have been too busy. Does this make me a better mom than someone that chooses to use pampers instead? Heck no! All that matters is how I feel about myself as a parent and that is it! I will never judge another mom for their stinkin diaper preference.

Are my monsters perfect little angels and are always the best of friends 24/7? Uhhhh, I don’t know what cloud you have your head stuck in, but you may want to have someone help you down! These monsters can be the sweetest, loving, caring siblings. Five minutes later I can’t guarantee they won’t be trying to take their sister or brother down. Let the endless screams, tantrums, and tattling begin. On those nights I catch myself anxiously watching the clock for bedtime! We likely won’t read a book that night, but I can assure you we will say bedtime prayers. Does this mean I can’t stand my normal children or think I am the worst mother in history? Nah! Tomorrow will certainly be a better day. I will just continue to count to ten over and over until it’s 8:00.

I am so over all of the judgement. I am so over the comparison. I absolutely could care less what others think of me. Because at the end of the day all that matters is that my husband & our monsters think I am the bees knees, so I must be doing something right! 20130909-134405.jpg

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World breastfeeding week

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Oh how I miss nursing already! I’m proud that Bitty & I made it 18 months. As I have been reading all of the sweet breastfeeding stories during “World Breastfeeding Week” it only reminds of of the special memories I have during those 18 months.

I hope that more moms will continue to stand up for their breastfeeding rights. So many people try to make it a negative or sexual thing. While I know first hand some moms can’t breast feed or just choose it isn’t the choice they want to go for. Every mom shouldn’t be made to feel it is a bad thing to do so either. I was fortunate enough to have a very good support system, my husband was amazing!

I wanted to share a link for any mom that is considering breastfeeding or just doesn’t get enough support in their own journey:
http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/

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Our 4 lil monsters…Then & Now.

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I was just looking at the descriptions I wrote about each of our monsters when I first started my blog last year. I really enjoyed reading it and noticing the changes in them in such a short amount of time. I just can’t seem to bring myself to just edit it so I thought I would share the changes here.

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Budah Booskie….Then….

My oldest Monster, 16.

Strong willed, loving, energetic, funny, wears his heart on his sleeve at times, comedian, total smart ass know it all teen at home but well behaved at school and anywhere else, my only son, great big brother, skateboarder, guitar playing, music loving, aspiring tattoo artist, loves to draw, creative.

Now….

17, still strong willed, loving, energetic, funny, wears his heart on his sleeve at times, & comedian. Watching him mature over the last year has been amazing. Of course he may enjoy picking on his little sisters a bit much. He’s my only son, though one of my children would disagree (we’ll get to that in a bit). I’ve homeschooled him for the last year which made it pretty easy for him to get his first job at a local diner. He started as a dishwasher and very quickly worked his way up to cooking. I can’t even begin to tell you how cute he is in that chef uniform. He still enjoys his guitar when he’s able to make time for it and I love hearing him playing a song along with his record player. We’ve always shared a love for a wide variety of music. But his favorite pass time by far skateboarding! He’s still the creative boy, oops young man, that he was a year ago. Proudly saving up to buy his first car. He’s not certain of the direction he wants to go in career wise, but I have no doubt he’ll be happy in whatever it is he does!

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Bunny Boo….Then….

My second oldest monster, 7.

She is sweet, sassy, strong willed, very girly, brown eyed girl, loud, loves to tattle, sensitive, One Direction obsessed, Twilight watching, loves dancing, adores her brother and sisters, smart, crafty, caring, quite the attitude, sensitive.

Now….

8, still sweet, sassy (and if possible maybe sassier than she was a year ago?), very girly, brown eyed girl, loud, continues to tattle in the drop of a dime, smart, crafty, caring, attitude packing, yet sensitive as ever. She has become quite the mother hen here lately. Enjoys helping in the kitchen. Despises having to clean up her bedroom. She takes a hip hop dance class. She loves singing and doing cart wheels. She is beautiful inside and out. And will be starting 3rd grade soon.

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Buggie Boo….Then….

My toddler monster, 3.

She’s bossy, crazy, deep voiced, happy, brown eyed girl, dances with no rhythm, mickey mouse clubhouse watching, yo gabba gabba loving, tantrum throwing, bright, imaginative, chocolate milk junkie, sneaky, ninja, strong willed.

Now….

4, still bossy as ever, crazy, happy, brown eyed girl, Oh wait that is where things change quite a bit! She has decided she is a boy:) She doesn’t like dresses, girl toys, really anything girly at all. She loves wearing boy clothes. And is super hero obsessed! Spiderman is still her favorite, and she is forever trying to climb door frames. Maybe that’s why she loves her tumbling class so? She no longer has a deep voice, and I think I may miss that. Loves to sing and dance around the house rhythmless as ever! Chocolate milk junkie, sneaky, ninja, and very much so strong willed! If she has a thought she spits it out. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes I think we just may be getting several calls from her teacher in the near future. She is anxiously awaiting starting Pre-K next month!

&

Bitty Boo….Then….

My baby monster. Almost 6 months old.

Our final addition, blue eyed girl, breastfed, cloth diapered, baby wearing, all night sleeping, giggling, strong willed, cuddle bum, precious, mommy obsessed, curious, tiny.

Now….

18 months old, blue eyed girl. Just stopped breastfeeding. Still cloth diapered, baby wearing, and all night sleeping! She never actually crawled. She went from scooting on her little bum across a room to running! Strong willed, funny, always chattering away, loud, Najah hugging (our 11 year old pup), stair climbing, sister chasing, bath loving, sneaky, sweet, very shy, cuddle bum.

&

Each of our 4 lil monsters have some similar characteristics, but very strong & different personalities. We love giving them that growing room and seeing just how different each of our free spirits are! Right down to Buggie deciding she is a boy. We embrace the things that make our children happy! They are our top priority. Any decision we have to make, they are always the reason we choose the way we do. I’m so blessed to be able to be a stay at home mom and witness all of these precious little moments with them. I love that we rarely go anywhere without them and there is a limited amount of people that ever baby sit them on that rare occasion. They grow so fast that we’d rather spend as much time with them as we can before they spread their wings and start their own families. I love the bond that we share with each of them and that our teenage son still likes hanging out with us. Each of our monsters know they can talk to us about ANYTHING! Buggie whispers in my ear daily, though usually loud enough that everyone can hear her, ha ha! I’m certainly not ashamed to say I learn just as much from these 4 lil monsters as I try to teach them.
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Our 4 lil monsters…Then & Now.

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I was just looking at the descriptions I wrote about each of our monsters when I first started my blog last year. I really enjoyed reading it and noticing the changes in them in such a short amount of time. I just can’t seem to bring myself to just edit it so I thought I would share the changes here.

&

Budah Booskie….Then….

My oldest Monster, 16.

Strong willed, loving, energetic, funny, wears his heart on his sleeve at times, comedian, total smart ass know it all teen at home but well behaved at school and anywhere else, my only son, great big brother, skateboarder, guitar playing, music loving, aspiring tattoo artist, loves to draw, creative.

Now….

17, still strong willed, loving, energetic, funny, wears his heart on his sleeve at times, & comedian. Watching him mature over the last year has been amazing. Of course he may enjoy picking on his little sisters a bit much. He’s my only son, though one of my children would disagree (we’ll get to that in a bit). I’ve homeschooled him for the last year which made it pretty easy for him to get his first job at a local diner. He started as a dishwasher and very quickly worked his way up to cooking. I can’t even begin to tell you how cute he is in that chef uniform. He still enjoys his guitar when he’s able to make time for it and I love hearing him playing a song along with his record player. We’ve always shared a love for a wide variety of music. But his favorite pass time by far skateboarding! He’s still the creative boy, oops young man, that he was a year ago. Proudly saving up to buy his first car. He’s not certain of the direction he wants to go in career wise, but I have no doubt he’ll be happy in whatever it is he does!

&

Bunny Boo….Then….

My second oldest monster, 7.

She is sweet, sassy, strong willed, very girly, brown eyed girl, loud, loves to tattle, sensitive, One Direction obsessed, Twilight watching, loves dancing, adores her brother and sisters, smart, crafty, caring, quite the attitude, sensitive.

Now….

8, still sweet, sassy (and if possible maybe sassier than she was a year ago?), very girly, brown eyed girl, loud, continues to tattle in the drop of a dime, smart, crafty, caring, attitude packing, yet sensitive as ever. She has become quite the mother hen here lately. Enjoys helping in the kitchen. Despises having to clean up her bedroom. She takes a hip hop dance class. She loves singing and doing cart wheels. She is beautiful inside and out. And will be starting 3rd grade soon.

&

Buggie Boo….Then….

My toddler monster, 3.

She’s bossy, crazy, deep voiced, happy, brown eyed girl, dances with no rhythm, mickey mouse clubhouse watching, yo gabba gabba loving, tantrum throwing, bright, imaginative, chocolate milk junkie, sneaky, ninja, strong willed.

Now….

4, still bossy as ever, crazy, happy, brown eyed girl, Oh wait that is where things change quite a bit! She has decided she is a boy:) She doesn’t like dresses, girl toys, really anything girly at all. She loves wearing boy clothes. And is super hero obsessed! Spiderman is still her favorite, and she is forever trying to climb door frames. Maybe that’s why she loves her tumbling class so? She no longer has a deep voice, and I think I may miss that. Loves to sing and dance around the house rhythmless as ever! Chocolate milk junkie, sneaky, ninja, and very much so strong willed! If she has a thought she spits it out. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes I think we just may be getting several calls from her teacher in the near future. She is anxiously awaiting starting Pre-K next month!

&

Bitty Boo….Then….

My baby monster. Almost 6 months old.

Our final addition, blue eyed girl, breastfed, cloth diapered, baby wearing, all night sleeping, giggling, strong willed, cuddle bum, precious, mommy obsessed, curious, tiny.

Now….

18 months old, blue eyed girl. Just stopped breastfeeding. Still cloth diapered, baby wearing, and all night sleeping! She never actually crawled. She went from scooting on her little bum across a room to running! Strong willed, funny, always chattering away, loud, Najah hugging (our 11 year old pup), stair climbing, sister chasing, bath loving, sneaky, sweet, very shy, cuddle bum.

&

Each of our 4 lil monsters have some similar characteristics, but very strong & different personalities. We love giving them that growing room and seeing just how different each of our free spirits are! Right down to Buggie deciding she is a boy. We embrace the things that make our children happy! They are our top priority. Any decision we have to make, they are always the reason we choose the way we do. I’m so blessed to be able to be a stay at home mom and witness all of these precious little moments with them. I love that we rarely go anywhere without them and there is a limited amount of people that ever baby sit them on that rare occasion. They grow so fast that we’d rather spend as much time with them as we can before they spread their wings and start their own families. I love the bond that we share with each of them and that our teenage son still likes hanging out with us. Each of our monsters know they can talk to us about ANYTHING! Buggie whispers in my ear daily, though usually loud enough that everyone can hear her, ha ha! I’m certainly not ashamed to say I learn just as much from these 4 lil monsters as I try to teach them.
20130813-010418.jpg

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